Dr. McDougall's Online Discussion Board

I copied this from Diabetic Living that I just got via the e-mail:


Myth: Eating healthful carbs will control blood glucose
Fact: All carbs matter, says Becky Abel, R.N., CDE, director of the diabetes self-management center for the LHC Group in Lafayette, Louisiana. One of Abel's patients with high blood glucose was shocked to learn that her daily tropical fruit smoothie packed 126 grams of carbohydrates -- eight carb servings! Sure, it was made with healthful fruit, but good-for-you ingredients don"t negate the carbs. Healthful trail mix, whole grain cereals, and sweet potatoes supply nutrients, but they're packed with carbs, too, and your body is aware of every one. In a curious moment, I weighed some apples and oranges. Most had 25 to 30 grams of carbs, equaling two servings of fruit, not one. Yikes! So I started buying bagged fruits, which are often smaller. Weighing and measuring portions really helps. With practice, you'll get better at knowing what a serving looks like. The moral of this story: Count the carbs -- all the carbs.

Jeff...What is your response to this?

I'm not Jeff but I am diabetic (Type II) and this is crap. My blood sugar is way lower on McDougall, eating unlimited carbs, than it was when I was eating animal products and counting carbs.

I believe that if you are insulin dependent, you need to know how much carbohydrate you're eating so you know how much insulin you need. But for a Type II diabetic on oral meds only, this is wrong. It's the conventional wisdom, but it's wrong.

Thanks. Are you careful to eat only complex carbs and to stay away from any refined white processed carbs? Thanks for the info. Diane

Also, Drs McDougall and Barnard explain how fat intake affects insulin, so be sure to read up on that.

dianeb1944 wrote:Thanks. Are you careful to eat only complex carbs and to stay away from any refined white processed carbs? Thanks for the info. Diane

I am right now, because I'm doing MWL, but I haven't found white carbs in moderation to be a problem for my blood sugar. The biggest improvement was from going vegan -- even though I still ate vegan junk food like Newman-O's. And momof4 is right, fat intake is extremely important.

If you're concerned about diabetes, you really should read Dr. Barnard's book and the info on his website, pcrm.org. Best of luck to you.